Nhat Nam (Nhất Nam) is a traditional Vietnamese martial art. Nhat Nam was officially introduced in Hanoi on October 23, 1983, by martial arts master Ngo Xuan Binh.[1]
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Since the 11th century there was an academy (or university) of martial arts in the capital, Thang Long city (today's Hanoi). Also Vietnamese martial arts were taught in “family” schools. Nhat Nam is one of them. Because of historical difficulties it is hard to say exactly when this martial art was founded and who the first founder of it was. For the first time Nhat Nam was mentioned in the sources of the 13th-14th centuries. For a long time few people knew the secrets of this original martial art. In 1980 enthusiasts of martial arts had an opportunity to get acquainted with this ancient school of martial arts – the head of the school, professor Ngo Xuan Binh organized the first demonstrations and seminars, also wrote books and articles on Nhat Nam.
In 1990 members of the school were invited to Minsk, later to Moscow. In 1991 the head of the school professor Ngo Xuan Binh and his disciple master Tran Phu Cu visited Lithuania. In 1994 the first Lithuanian club “Nhat Nam” was founded in Vilnius. Now there are four clubs in different regions of Lithuania. In 1999 Lithuanian Nhat Nam federation was established.
The culture and world-view of Vietnam is related to ancient philosophy and religion of the Orient. Vietnamese assimilated Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and other philosophical systems, which also influenced the philosophy of Nhat Nam.
The definition of Nhat Nam is multi-faceted: broken down, “Nhat” means unity, “Nam” means destination to south or favourable number. Sometimes Nhat Nam is translated as a young branch. Direct and hidden meanings also lie in the attributes of the school.
The emblem of the school presents a snake and a rooster, fighting against each other. Traditionally a snake is a symbol of evil, darkness, passivity and instincts. And a fighting rooster means good, light, activity, striving to improve. These two origins permanently fight in us. The emblem shows, that the higher spiritual origin controls the physical origin, but doesn’t destroy it. The fight takes place in a disk of the moon, which means nonviolent methods of Nhat Nam. We know that the sun not only shines, but also burns and dries. It is a big problem in such southern countries like Vietnam. The moon shines gently, doesn’t blind or burn. It is very important for everyone to understand himself the importance of improvement. It is impossible to develop a human character under compulsion.
Another attribute of the school Nhat Nam is a flag. It has a traditional form and symbolic. Such flags are called “spirit flags” in Vietnam. The colors of the flag mean five elements, which lie in everything in this universe.
The ritual of Nhat Nam TIAO has a special philosophical meaning. It expresses disciple’s respect and obedience to his teacher. Fist and open palm in this gesture mean the unit of the opposite origins AM (IN) and ZONG (YAN). Putting a fist to a palm a disciple confirms his desire to take the Path of the Universe (DAO).
The head of the school professor Ngo Xuan Binh formulated the main principles of the school Nhat Nam. They are written in his book “Martial Art Nhat Nam”, volume 1:
The martial system of Nhat Nam consists of different initial exercises: impacts and blocks. Later a disciple learns to attack and to defend; there are also free-fighting trainings. The special attention is paid to formal exercises, so called Kuen (Kata, Tao). The head of the school professor Ngo Xuan Binh writes about Kuen in his book “Martial Art Nhat Nam” (vol.2): “Kuen for orient people is an art of movement; it amalgamates force, sleight, plastic and stamina into one rhythm, which creates the harmony between human and nature. Kuen forms a spiritual world, benevolent thoughts and love.” There are several trends of Kuen in the martial art Nhat Nam. For example, complexes of imitation: Kuen of snake, tiger or mountains. Or Kuen with weapon: staff or sword. It is thought, that weapons prolong arm, give toughness, sharpness and mobility. There are breathing Kuen, which is used to develop quick reaction, plastic, stamina, teaches to relax and to mobilize strength when needed, to overstep our bounds.